Bill Tieleman is one of BC's best known communicators, political commentators and strategists.
Bill writes a politics column Tuesdays in 24 Hours newspaper and The Tyee online magazine.
Bill has been Communications Director in the B.C. Premier's Office and at the BC Federation of Labour.
Bill owns West Star Communications, a consulting firm providing strategy and communication services for labour, business, non-profits and government.

These are just some of the drugs my stepdaughter Erin Ross Coward has taken over the past few years.

But Erin isn't addicted to drugs -- they were all doctor-prescribed to relieve the extreme and chronic pain of her endometriosis.

March is the month dedicated to awareness about this surprisingly common but mostly unknown chronic illness that affects one in 10 women in varying degrees.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue like that which lines a woman's uterus grows elsewhere in her body, usually the abdomen.

That tissue responds to the menstrual cycle like the uterus tissue does -- it builds up, breaks down and sheds.

But unlike during a period, this blood and tissue have no way to leave the body, resulting in painful inflammation and sometimes internal scarring or adhesions.

Many women mistakenly believe it is just "normal" menstrual pain and aren't diagnosed, but for others like Erin, the symptoms are far more severe.

And like many with endometriosis, Erin also suffers from fibromyalgia -- a disorder that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue.

Surgeries, injections, recurring agony

At just 27 years old, Erin has undergone five separate surgeries to remove endometrium tissue attaching itself to her internal cavities and even organs, making it still more challenging to remove. Each surgery has left her recovering for weeks afterward.

Erin has also made literally countless trips to the hospital for morphine injections when the pain is unmanageable with prescription drugs, to her doctor, gynecologist, massage therapist, acupuncturist and naturopath seeking relief.

The B.C. Medical Plan does not cover all of her treatments, making endometriosis expensive as well as painful.

Erin's pain is visceral and debilitating. The other results of endometriosis include serious fatigue, irregular and heavy bleeding, nausea, dizziness and depression.

As Erin's parents, my wife Shirley Ross and I feel a very different pain from watching her suffer -- emotional and intense, with a sense of helplessness.

The chronic pain hurts us all. And there is no solution.

Out of the shadows

In the past doctors believed either pregnancy or a hysterectomy would cure endometriosis but that has been disproven. Pain management is the only solution.

Erin describes her endometriosis this way: "It's like having the worst period you've ever had, every day of your life."

And yet Erin is outwardly a beautiful young woman -- which makes it even harder for people to understand her "invisible" illness.

Too often someone has dismissed her devastating condition by saying, "You look fine to me."

Erin has bravely not only faced the disease by trying her best to live a normal live but also writes publicly about it on her blog End Endo BC.

"I struggle to get out of bed, to hold a coffee mug without spilling or dropping it and even the simple task of dressing yourself can exhaust you," Erin wrote Saturday. "I am not bitter about living this way, I'd rather live then be dead, so I keep trying. Keeping my head above water is the plan."

Ironically, just as endometriosis awareness month started, Erin's plans to become a teacher were put on hold.

Erin was forced to take a medical leave from the University of B.C. because she is in too much pain to attend classes, so she must try to regain her health before resuming studies.

It's another unfair blow -- but Erin completed her bachelor of arts degree previously while fighting the illness, and plans to return.

Actresses Susan Sarandon and Padma Lakshmi are just two famous women who are speaking out about their battles with endometriosis and the need for more awareness, research and support for those who suffer from it.

As Lakshmi, host of Bravo TV's Top Chef and a former supermodel says, it's difficult for women to talk about the illness because of its intimate nature:

"Endometriosis still isn't openly discussed. It's at the stage that breast cancer was many years ago," Lakshmi says. "It's never pleasant talking about such a personal issue."

Learn more, hope for a cure

We remain hopeful for a cure or just better pain relief for women like Erin who suffer from the most severe form of endometriosis.

"Too many are affected by this terrible disease and too many of us are not being loud enough to bring attention to it when it affects one in ten women," Erin writes.

But for now endometriosis is still a hurtful illness that deprives so many women of their ability to live life fully, have children and exist without pain.

So spare a moment to find out about endometriosis.

With so many affected, everyone knows a woman like Erin who needs your support.

That's some pretty heavy stuff she has been taking. I was on fentenal in increasing strength prior to my back surgery. Lots of side effect and I sure would wish that stuff on anyone. Getting off it was a problem as it's sort of habit forming Sure hope there is some methods being used to help her.

It's true, the medical world has not spent enough time or money addressing the reproductive health of so many suffering women out there. And with the proliferatin of even more hormone disrupting compounds in our environment, food and air, these issues are likely to get way worse before they get better.

It's all a crying shame.

As someone who has not suffered from endometriosis but has had her share of feminine pain and serious complaints over the years (my doctor currently wants to give me a hysterectomy to remove a rather large fibroid tumor in my uterus), I now sing the praises of BC's own Lorna Vanderhaeghe -- a pioneering medical researcher and writer who has developed a line of supplements designed especially for women of all ages and with all manner of reproductive and other related female issues.

Bill, I highly recommend your step- daughter check out her web site: www.healthyimmunity.com (Again, I'm just a really happy and impressed customer who thinks women need to plug into what Lorna has spent many years and hard work creating for us!)

Here's wishing you a swift recovery, Erin! Or, at the very least, greater relief from the pain!

Bill Tieleman and Senator Larry Campbell, former Vancouver mayor

Jim Sinclair, Cindy Oliver, Ken Georgetti and Bill Tieleman

Bill Tieleman's coverage of the Basi-Virk/BC Legislature Raid Case praised by other journalists:

"This outstanding piece of journalism, in The Tyee, is the work of a journalist who has been deeply involved with this issue from the start and this article should be passed on as far and wide as possible."

"Bill Tieleman from 24 hours . . . . If you want to know about this trial and about this case, you have to read his blog – I mean, that’s just all there is to it – it’s required reading if you want to understand the BC Legislature Raid situation."

- Mike Smyth, columnist, The Province

"The Basi-Virk case....you’ve probably sat through more of these hearings and gone through more of the files and written about it than any other journalist in the province."

- Bill Good, host, The Bill Good Show, CKNW/Corus Radio Network

"Tieleman ...has done a first-rate job covering the trial."

- Paul Willcocks, columnist, the Victoria Times-Colonist

"Tieleman, who marries a considerable journalistic talent with one of the smartest political minds in the province, has been writing more web-exclusive material. And his coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is a must-read -- whether you're an insider or an outsider."

"24 Hours, the Vancouver paper that has been leading the coverage, as well as the hints of conspiracy in B.C."

- Norman Spector, columnist, Globe and Mail

"Although the major media in this circumstance has been giving the case significant coverage, Tieleman's reports on his blog have been outstanding.

The entire cut and thrust of legal wrangling and arguments has been covered and is accompanied by considered analysis.....His blog site coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is the most in depth treatment of one of British Columbia's biggest political scandals."

- Bill Bell, columnist, The North Shore News

"Mr. Tieleman has published online dispatches which, freed from the limitations of newsprint space or broadcast time, can run at length. They also remain available for those select readers who become obsessed with a case also known as Railgate.....

In another bizarre twist to a story with no shortage of them, Mr. Tieleman went to work one day in December only to discover his office had been ransacked. Bookcases had been tipped over and papers strewn, but nothing was missing.

To top it off, a press kit for the self-published novel The Raid, written by a retired military officer in Metchosin and featuring on its cover a photograph from the 2003 police raid, had been left in a conspicuous place."

- Tom Hawthorn, columnist, The Globe and Mail

Nobody has followed the Basi-Virk affair over its past five years with greater diligence than local journalist, Bill Tieleman....Tieleman deserves our thanks, a fistful of journalism awards and some merit citation for citizenship.